1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a seat belt system for use in a vehicle. More specifically, it is directed to a ceiling retractable seat belt system for use in a vehicle. Even more specifically, it is directed to a ceiling retractable seat belt system for use in a center seat of a motor vehicle.
2. Prior Art
In current seat belt systems, motor vehicles often use three passenger seats, in which a center passenger must be belted in as safely as an outside passenger. Normally, in a motor vehicle, a three point seat belt, among other things, is used to restrain a passenger in place in the event of an accident or other unusual motion of the motor vehicle. In most motor vehicles, an outside passenger, that is a passenger immediately adjacent the right or left hand side of the motor vehicle, will use a three point seat belt which is retracted into the side of the vehicle nearest that passenger. Most commonly in use today is a single latch member which slides along a loop of seat belt webbing which is anchored on one end at an upper portion of the vehicle (generally near the ceiling) and at the other end at a lower portion of the vehicle (generally near the floor). A retractor is positioned at one end of the loop. As the latch member is pulled across the passenger""s body and buckled into the buckle, the lap belt stretches across the passengers lap or hips and the shoulder belt thus extends from the latch member up across the front torso of the passenger, between the passenger""s shoulder and head, and into a retractor.
A problem occurs with the seat belt for the center passenger. The upper part of the seat belt loop will normally be anchored in the ceiling. However, in this case, the seat belt webbing will stretch down from the ceiling and be in the way, when not in use.
In vehicles such as a sport utility vehicle (SUV), a van or minivan, a station wagon, or any other type of vehicle, a second or third row of seats often have the ability to fold down to increase cargo capacity. In such a vehicle, the center passenger in a second or third row seat will usually retrieve his shoulder belt from a mounting position in the ceiling of the vehicle. In such arrangement, it is preferable to have the belt retracted into the ceiling in order to be out of the way when not in use, and to allow the seat to be conveniently folded away when so desired. Thus, in the past, it has been difficult to make a three point seat belt for the center passenger convenient to use.
For example, a conventional type of three point seat belt for passenger in a center seat is illustrated in FIGS. 1(a)-1(e). Specifically, as seen in FIG. 1(a), seat 11 includes a seat cushion 12 and a seat back 14. The three point seat belt 15 includes lap belt 16 and shoulder belt 18. Lap belt 16 is anchored on one end thereof at anchor 30. The opposing end of the lap belt has a latch member 27 with tongue plate 26. The lap belt is adjustable with respect to latch member 27 by pulling end strap 17 of the lap belt.
As also seen in FIGS. 1(b)-1(e), the shoulder belt 18 is biased into a retracted state by a retractor (not shown) located above the ceiling of the vehicle, or in some other convenient place. A shoulder belt cover 32 provides an opening through which the shoulder belt 18 extends into the passenger compartment from the retractor (not shown). The hook plate 22, connected to the end of should belt 18 is stowed in the shoulder belt cover 32 when not in use. When this three point seat belt is to be used, the shoulder belt 18 is pulled down from its stowed position by hook plate 22. Hook plate 22 is then hooked into eye plate 28 of lap belt 16. Eye plate 28 extends rearwardly from the main portion of latch member 27 of lap belt 16. Once hook plate 22 is properly hooked into eye plate 28, latch member 27 of lap belt 16 is then drawn across the body of the passenger (see FIG. 1(d)) and tongue plate 26 is latched into buckle 24 which is anchored to the floor of the vehicle or some other appropriate place.
As shown in FIG. 1(e), the end strap 17 of lap belt 16 is pulled away from the buckle 24 to provide tension on the lap belt 16 for a proper fit for the passenger. Tension is provided on shoulder belt 18 by the retractor (not shown). Thus, this prior art belt system enables the shoulder belt stowed in the ceiling. The lap belt is not retracted and thus causes clutter on the seat cushion when not in use. Furthermore, the use of this three point seat belt system includes at least pulling the shoulder belt 18 down from the cover 32; latching hook plate 22 with eye plate 28; pulling latch member 27 across the passenger""s body; latching it into buckle 24; and then tightening the lap belt by pulling on end strap 17. This conventional system is cumbersome to put on and is thus less likely to be used by the passenger.
The instant invention is intended to overcome the inconvenience of use of the conventional three point seat belt described above. Specifically, a three point seat belt system is provided which is convenient to use and yet retracts into the ceiling when not in use.
A three point seat belt system in accordance with the instant invention is ideal for use with a center seat in a second, third or another row of seats in a motor vehicle. For the purposes of this discussion, a center seat is any seat that t is not immediately adjacent the side of the vehicle. For example, in a van with seats for four passengers, the two seats in the middle,would be considered to be center seats. Me three point seat belt system in accordance with the instant invention includes a seat belt webbing having a first end connected to a retractor secured to the body of the motor vehicle, a first buckle anchored to the vehicle and disposed on one sidle of a passenger, and a second buckle disposed on the opposite side of the passenger. A first latch member is connected to seat belt webbing, remote from the end, wherein the first latch member has a tongue plate engageable with the first buckle. A second latch member has a webbing loop, through which said seat belt webbing is threaded, is slidable along the seat belt webbing from the first latch member toward said retractor, and a second tongue plate engageable with the second buckle.
It is preferable that the first tongue plate of the f first latch member is engageable only with the first buckle and the second tongue plate is engageable only with the second buckle, since, in this three point seat belt system, the first tongue plate is first latched into the first buckle and then the second tongue plate is drawn across the passenger""s body and latched into second buckle. It is thus preferable that the first and second tongue plates be different in shape so that there is no possibility of buckling the first tongue plate into the second buckle and the second tongue plate into the first buckle, thus causing an improper arrangement of the three point seat belt which would not properly protect the passenger.
It is an object of the instant invention that a ceiling retractable three point seat belt be convenient for a passenger to put on. According to the instant invention, the passenger simply pulls the first and second latch members from their respective stowed positions in the belt cover, and pulls the first latch member down and latches it into the first buckle. Next, the second latch member is pulled across the passenger""s body (along with the seat belt webbing) and latches it into the second buckle. There is no need to do any further tightening of the belt as in the prior art, described above.
It is an object of the instant invention that the three point seat belt system be easily stowable when not in use. In accomplishing this, the seat belt webbing is retracted by a retractor into a belt cover positioned in the vehicle ceiling. In the belt cover, two slots are provided, one each for the first tongue plate and the second tongue plate. Each slot has a spring clip inside thereof to secure the first or second tongue plate when inserted. Thus, when the three point seat belt system is not in use, the first tongue plate is stowed in its slot and secured therein by a spring clip, and the second tongue plate is stowed in its slot in the belt cover and secured therein by a spring clip. The retractor retracts the remaining slack in the seat belt webbing into the retractor. When the seat belt is to be used, it is easy for a passenger to simply pull the first and second latch members from their stowed positions in the belt cover and properly latch the belts.
It is another object of the instant invention, in a three point seat belt system with two latch members and two buckles, that the latch members be prevented from being latched into the wrong buckle. In order to provide latch members which may only be buckled into the proper buckle, the first tongue plate of the first latch member has a notch formed in one side thereof, while the second tongue plate of the second latch member has a center aperture formed therein. The first buckle has a buckling mechanism which corresponds and cooperates with the notch in the first tongue plate, while the second buckle has a buckling mechanism which corresponds and cooperates with the second tongue plate. Because of this arrangement, the first tongue plate, with a notch in it, cannot be buckled into the second buckle which is designed for a tongue plate having a center aperture. Accordingly, the second tongue plate, having a center aperture, cannot be buckled into the first buckle which has a mechanism which corresponds and is cooperate with the notch in the first tongue plate. Thus, it is impossible to buckle the first latch member or the second latch member into the wrong buckle. Therefore, it is possible to prevent incorrect buckling of the latch members so that a proper wearing of the seat belt is promoted